Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Apple Adds New Samsung Galaxy S4 Phone to Lawsuit

The phone on the left is not a Galaxy S4, andno way is it that small, no matter what PC Magazine might imply.

Wow, I didn't know you could do this. Apple and Samsung have been locked in suits and counter suits over alleged patent infringements. From what I've read of the cases, a lot of Apple's claims are fairly broad, to the point of ridiculousness, and yet they initially won a huge settlement. But the cases go on, and now, Apple--already claiming 22 different Samsung models violate their patents--is scrubbing one, and replacing it with a new one. My new Galaxy S4!

Now, I know I'm no patent expert, so I won't sound off too much. But I can tell you that my phone in no way resembles an Apple product. It doesn't function like an Apple product. There isn't a soul who would be confused, or fooled into thinking the S4 was an iPhone. And--unlike the picture used in this and other articles--the phones aren't even remotely the same size. The S4 dwarfs the iPhone in every way except build materials. Yes, both phones have a glass touchscreen, a button and are roughly the same shape. Both have icons you press to get to programs, a logical extension of any computer operating system. But the Android operating system (layered with Samsung's TouchWiz and each individual carrier's add-ons) has evolved in quite a different direction from iOS. They're now very different ecosystems.

The thing that annoyed me about my (admittedly) cursory examination of the cases, is that the claims on patents seemed to focus on what the hardware and software do, rather than how they do it. If I press a button and a program opens, you shouldn't be able to patent that. If you get the program to open via a patented code, and someone steals the code? Fine, you win. But that doesn't seem to be the case here. It seems like Apple wants to lay claim to concepts. Should they really be able to do that? I mean, dozens of manufacturers manufacture similar TVs, microwave ovens, printer all-in-ones, keyboards, lamps, speakers. . . Once a product exists, you don't get the only company allowed to make something like it. Should Apple really be the only company allowed to make a rectangular touch-screen phone, with applications and a camera?

[Excerpt]Apple Targets Samsung Galaxy S 4 in Patent Case

Apple wants to add the Galaxy S 4 to a list of 22 Samsung devices its believes infringes on its patents. Cupertino said it is willing to drop one of those 22 gadgets and swap in Samsung's newest flagship smartphone. . .